XTM Revs up Localized 'Top Gear' for Korean Market

Local cable broadcaster orders two more seasons of the hit car format.

The hit car format Top Gear will be driving back onto Korean television screens, following an order for two seasons of a local-language edition of the show by local cablecaster XTM, which announced the move at the Asia Television Forum in Singapore.

The announcement featured an appearnace by the show's taciturn so-called "tame racing driver," The Stig, who true to form did not reveal whether or not he spoke Korean.

Pre-production for the second season, which features 10, 60-minute episodes, will begin after the new year, with no target date for broadcast announced. CJ E&M will produce for XTM, which reaches 15 million homes in South Korea.

The first series of Top Gear Korea was broadcast in August this year and outperformed the XTM prime time average across all major demographics. Presenting the series are host Kim Jin-Pyo, actor Kim Kap-Soo and celebrity racer Yeon Jung-Hoon,who like their British counterparts, are joined by Asian celebrities, and take their show on the road to various locations around South Korea.

The U.K.’s Top Gear series has been a huge international success, having so far completed 17 seasons and selling into almost 200 territories around the world.